


A Day in the Life Series - The Commander

by Alisienna



Series: A Day in Life Series [1]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-10
Updated: 2015-01-10
Packaged: 2018-03-06 22:59:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3151529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alisienna/pseuds/Alisienna
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What happens when the Inquisitor leaves Skyhold? This series explores the lives of the advisers and companions separate from the Inquisitor. Please leave your thoughts in the comments!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Morning Exercise

 “No no no! Hold the shield _up_ and _tilt it away from your face!_ How many times must we repeat ourselves?” Cullen shook his head, trying not to lose his temper. He was close; a bad night’s sleep – _another_ bad night’s sleep – and the headache forming behind his eyes was not helping matters. These fool recruits were by far the greatest test of his patience.

He let out his breath in a soft sigh. _I too had to learn once, and the hard way, if I recall_. He chuckled to himself at the memory. “Here, recruit,” he said, no longer angry. “Let me show you.” He reached out and took the shield and practice sword from the young man – _Maker, he can’t be more than eighteen_ – and turned toward his sparring partner. Cullen nodded to the other recruit and they saluted one another, practice swords raised before their faces in formal acknowledgement of the duel.

The other recruit – Brandon, Cullen thought his name was – fell into proper stance, as he had been taught: feet shoulder-width apart to evenly distribute his weight; knees slightly bent for greater balance; eyes on his opponent’s chest, wary for any signal of an attack. Cullen did likewise, and waited for the other man to attack him. Brandon, to his credit, showed no qualms about attempting to strike his commander. He feinted right before swinging his sword to Cullen’s left, the side with the shield. Cullen saw the feint and raised his shield to block the blow, taking care to tilt the upper edge away from his face. Brandon’s practice sword slid off Cullen’s shield, carried by the momentum of the blow. Cullen took the opening to work his own sword up underneath his opponent’s shield, and struck a hard blow to the recruit’s ribs.

Brandon went down with a huff, the wind knocked out of him. Cullen dropped his sword and offered him a hand up. “Very good,” he said. “But you made some mistakes, as well. Your form is good, especially your footing, but you need to work on your balance. I should not have been able to knock you down so easily. Also, keep your shield closer to you if you are going to strike out like that, makes it harder for me to get underneath it while you are distracted.”

He turned to the first recruit. “Did you see what I did?” The recruit nodded. “What’s your name, son?” Cullen asked.

“Christophe, sir,” he answered, his voice timid.

“Ah,” Cullen nodded. “Orlesian, are you?” The boy nodded. “Well, try to keep that shield pointed the right way. You keep that edge angled toward your face, a clever and skilled fighter can force you to bash yourself in the face with the edge. Not to mention it will help you block unfriendly magic.”

The recruit nodded again. “Yes, Commander. I will remember.”

“See that you do.” Cullen gestured for them to begin practicing again, and watched for a moment. Satisfied they had both made progress, he moved up and down the line, watching the other recruits in their drills. They were doing better. The veteran Templars were an enormous asset to their army, and this is where it showed the most.

Cullen squinted in the bright sunlight of early morning. His headache had momentarily eased in the midst of exercise, but it was returning with a vengeance. He made his way toward the weapon rack and picked up a weighted practice sword and shield. He called to one of his lieutenants. “Ser Barris!”

The younger man strode over to him and saluted. “Commander!”

“Spar with me. I need the exercise.”

Ser Barris grinned. “Of course, Commander.” Cullen matched his grin with one of his own as he slid down into his fighting stance. They danced back and forth for a few minutes, matching blow for blow. Cullen chose Ser Barris because he was very nearly as good as he was himself – better than Cullen had been at his age. Sweat began beading on his forehead as they fought, even in the coolness of the mountain air. Soon the recruits stopped their own drills to watch the fight. Cullen could see them taking bets on who would win, even though they tried to disguise the fact.

He met Ser Barris’ eyes for a second and grinned again. Ser Barris nodded and smiled back in acknowledgement. They both quickened their pace, each trying to outmaneuver the other. Their swords clacked against each other and their shields, the sound bouncing off the stone walls and carrying over the cheers and shouts of the recruits.

Finally, Cullen saw an opening and took it. He moved so quickly his motions were a blur, and then Ser Barris was on the ground, the tip of Cullen’s sword pressing lightly on his throat.

“Yield?”

“I yield, I yield,” Ser Barris replied, breathless with exhaustion and amusement. “Thanks for the workout, Commander.”

Cullen pulled him up off the ground and clapped him on the shoulder. “Anytime, Ser Barris. Keep up the good work.” 


	2. A Meeting with the Nightingale and the Ambassdor

Still breathing a little heavily, Cullen replaced the practice sword and shield on the racks and glanced up at the sky to judge the sun. He still had about an hour or so before he needed to meet with Josephine and Leliana, then. Time enough for a quick wash and then breakfast.

He jogged up the stone steps to the tower he had claimed as his own, nodding to the scouts on duty on the walls. He smirked a little when Harrison flubbed his salute; that poor boy was not cut out for any semblance of military life, but he worked hard and Cullen appreciated that. He pushed the wooden door closed – it still creaked, he should have one of the builders look at that – and swiftly climbed the ladder up to his “bedchamber.” The Inquisitor teased him about having the roof repaired, but Cullen didn’t mind it being open. Having slept indoors his entire life, he quite enjoyed the fresh night air keeping him cool while he slept.

Plus, the extra light from the moon helped to him re-orient himself when the nightmares woke him. But he wouldn’t tell her that. She would only worry, and she had worries enough of her own.

Cullen pulled off the linen undershirt he had worn down to the practice yard and splashed himself with water from the basin. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, testing the length of the stubble there. It was short enough he could get away with skipping a shave today. He held his hand out and saw that it trembled slightly, but not too badly. He would probably feel better after he ate something.

After dressing quickly in a fresh undershirt and his normal armor, Cullen went to the main hall to eat. There were several tables set up there, and the castle staff kept them piled with fresh food and drink throughout the day. There were so many people coming in and out of the keep at all hours that a formal schedule for mealtimes would have been impossible. Cullen agreed with Josephine that the Inquisition should remain organized yet as flexible as possible, even when it came to how their people ate.

Grabbing a trencher as he passed the first table, Cullen picked up a few things and tossed them onto the plate, not really caring what he grabbed. He spotted Lieutenant Daniels a few benches down and headed over to sit next to him.

“Lieutenant! This seat taken?”

“Oh, um, no sir!” Daniels rose awkwardly into the kind of half-crouch the benches allowed, attempting to salute and nearly knocking over his flagon in the process. Cullen chuckled and waved him down.

“At ease, at ease. I’m just here to eat breakfast like the rest of you.” He sat down and a server brought him his own flagon that after an investigative sip he determined contained a sweet, crisp apple cider. He hummed in appreciation before turning back to the lieutenant. “Daniels, is it?” The lieutenant smiled and nodded, pleased the Commander knew his name. “You joined up some months ago but we haven’t had the chance to chat. Where are you from?” Cullen asked as he started to eat.

They chatted amiably for a few minutes while Cullen wolfed down his food, mostly Daniels answering the commander’s questions and Cullen nodding while he ate. Cullen spotted Leliana crossing the hall towards the door to Josephine’s office and swallowed quickly, chasing down the last of his breakfast with one large swig of the cider. “Excuse me, Lieutenant. Thank you for the chat.”

Cullen stood and closed the distance to Leliana in a few swift strides. “Good morning, Leliana.”

“Commander,” Leliana returned the greeting with a nod. She was always just a little aloof, that one. Cullen always got the feeling she either didn’t care for him, or didn’t care for anyone. That could just be her way of dealing with the death of the Divine and all the tragedy that followed, he supposed, but he was never sure. He coughed and tried again.

“Did you sleep well?”

“I did, thank you,” Leliana replied, still not looking at him. They were almost at the door leading to Josephine’s office. Cullen stepped forward quickly to hold the door open for her to walk through. Leliana raised one eyebrow but allowed him to hold it for her. Cullen followed her into the cozy suite Josephine had claimed as her own the second they had gotten to Skyhold.

“Ah, right on time, as always. Thank you,” Josephine said as they entered, standing up from her desk. Leliana and Cullen took their usual seats in the chintz armchairs in front of the fireplace as Josephine bustled over to them and handed them each a sheet of notes. Cullen envied her energy. He was never quite as much of a morning person as she was.

“So, we have some matters to discuss since last week’s meeting,” Josephine wasted no time getting down to business. “Cullen, you had some concerns about the mages and the Templars who are currently stationed here in the keep?”

Cullen nodded and leaned forward. “Yes, we’ve got them in separate quarters, but they are on the same side of the castle. I had hoped that would help foster some comraderie, friendships even. But it seems to be doing the opposite. If it’s possible, Josephine, I would like to move one group to new quarters on the other side of the keep.”

“I think that can be arranged. We can move the mages into the staff quarters, and the staff can stay in the current mage wing. I will make the arrangements and we can begin moving them this afternoon.” She scribbled something on that ridiculous board she was always carrying around. _How did she manage to not light herself on fire every five minutes?_ Cullen wondered.

Out loud he said, “Thank you, Josephine. Let me know if there is anything I can do to assist you.”

“Oh, just keep the peace until we can get them all settled. I swear, half of what we do all day is babysitting five hundred people.” Josephine shook her head as she continued scribbling.

Cullen chuckled. “It could always be worse.”

Leliana snorted. “Famous last words, Commander. Now it _will_ get worse.”

“Yes, because we have so far to go from our current situation. A civil war in Orlais, an ancient evil magister with a pet archdemon nipping at our heels, looming threats from Tevinter, the Venatori running rampant…need I continue?” Josephine said with her usual thinly-veiled sarcasm.

“No, Josie, we take your point. What’s next on your list?” Leliana asked, waving for the ambassador to continue.

“Hmm…I wanted to make you both aware of the current status of our supplies. While we have enough stored to make everyone comfortable for a few weeks, we will need to secure more trade routes and shipments in order to keep the Inquisition in a position to grow. Commander, I know your family is from Honnleath?”

“Yes, they are. But they moved out of the area during the Blight.”

“Is it possible that your family would still know people living in the area? I was thinking we could use the connection to purchase portions of this year’s harvest from the farmers there. I hear the land there is very fertile.”

Cullen rubbed his chin as he considered. “To be honest, I’m not sure, Ambassador. I can write to my sister and see if she knows. It’s been too long since I’ve written her, anyway, so this will be a good excuse.”

Josephine laughed. “Yes, you had better write her, or she’ll start sending _me_ letters next.”

Leliana chuckled as well. “Yes, Commander, your sister is very resourceful when it comes to tracking you down. She’s already contacted me. I’ve been thinking of inviting her to be one of my agents.”

“Maker’s breath, no! She didn’t?” Cullen rubbed his forehead in exasperation. “That woman will be the death of me.”

“Just let me know what she says about the supply lines,” Josephine scribbled something else down and turned to Leliana. “Leliana, you mentioned your scouts have gone missing in the Western Approach?”

Leliana’s smile disappeared and she sat forward in her chair. “Yes. I suspect Venatori are responsible. I have not heard from three of my agents there in weeks. I fear the worst for them now.” Her brow furrowed, almost imperceptibly. Cullen knew she cared deeply for her agents and the loss of any one of them was devastating to her. She turned to him. “Commander, can you send in a contingent of troops to secure the area? See if we can find out what happened to my men?”

“I can, but we would need to have the Inquisitor give the order. She is not expected back for some days, yes?” He looked to Josephine, who nodded. “In the meantime, then, I will prepare a report assessing the situation and an order for her to sign upon her return. Send me what information you have this afternoon.”

Leliana’s expression did not change, but her eyes were grateful. “Thank you, Commander.” 


End file.
